Bill Parker, May 19, 1954 – June 23, 2016

by ProRodeo.com | Jun 24, 2016

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Bill Parker, a three-time qualifier for the National Finals Rodeo, and the only competitor from Montana to qualify for the NFR in both team roping and tie-down roping, passed away June 23. He was 62.

Parker qualified once in tie-down roping (1980) and twice in team roping (1979, 1982).

As a team roping header, Parker paired with David Motes at the 1979 NFR and they finished second in the average with a time of 110.1 seconds on 10 head. Parker finished 11th in the world standings that year with $16,912.

Parker’s performance helped him win the 1979 PRCA Team Roping Rookie of the Year honor.

Parker roped with Brad Smith, the 1978 team roping world champion heeler, at the 1982 NFR, and they placed in three rounds and were 14th in the average with a time of 45.9 seconds on six head.

In his 1980 NFR appearance as a tie-down roper, Parker finished fifth in the average with a time of 153.4 seconds on 10 head to move up to 10th in the final world standings.

Parker remains the only tie-down roper from Montana to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo and the only tie-down roper from Montana to make the Top 5 of the world standings in the 79-year history of the Cowboys’ Turtle Association/RCA/PRCA (1937-2015).

Parker also was a standout in the PRCA circuit system.

Parker was the Montana Circuit year-end champion in team roping (1979) and tie-down roping (1984). What’s more, he was the RAM Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo all-around and team roping champion in 1980 and the tie-down roping champ in 1987.

Parker stopped roping in 1993 and then started back up competing again in 2010 in PRCA rodeos. He finished 159th in the 2015 world standings while competing on a part-time basis.

Parker is survived by his wife Jann. There will be will a funeral service at 2 p.m., July 7 in St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, 226 Wicks Lane, Billings, Mont. Arrangements are being handled by Dahl Funeral Chapel in Billings.

Courtesy of PRCA